How to Make an Exceptional Warm and Tasty Ham & Bean Soup

Autumn is here! And that means one thing to me – Soup Season! We eat a lot of soup, usually for lunch. It’s so easy to just heat up a bowl, add some crackers or bread and I’m all set.

Meat falling off the bone, ready to dice up for soup

I had a ham bone in the freezer, which I wanted to use. I originally planned to do split pea and ham soup. I got started … diced and started to cook the onion, added chicken stock and the ham bone, and went to get out the split peas. You guessed it – none in the pantry. I meant to buy them. I thought I did buy them, but them remembered there was none in the store when I went shopping. Okay, quick turn about. I had lots of other dried beans, and although meant taking a little time to soak and boil them, or put them in the Instant pot, I could still make soup. I decided on using some navy beans. I also pulled out cranberry beans for baked beans – more next week on that!

I start the base, and cook the ham bone until any meat left on it is falling off. The collagen from the connective tissues will also help thicken the soup. Then I remove the bone, dice up the meat and return it to the pot and add in the beans. They are mostly cooked, but another hour of simmering finishes them off. A few herbs and spice, and I have a big pot of soup.

A loaf of homemade bread will finish off the meal!

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Ham and White Bean Soup

a tasty thick soup taht makes a satisfying meal

Course Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword bean soup, ham and bean soup, hearty soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 28 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white beans, navy beans or other dried bean
  • water as needed
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 ham bone with meat
  • 1 packet onion soup mix
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Soak dried beans overnight, or heat up with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and let sit 1 hour.

  2. Rinse beans, and simmer until mostly cooked, or put in Instant Pot or other pressure cooker & cook for 15 minutes. Drain.

  3. Saute onion and celery in olive oil until lightly browned and softened.

  4. Add chicken stock, water, salt and pepper and onion soup mix. Add the ham bone – the liquid should cover the bone. if not, add more water or stock. Add thyme and rosemary.

  5. Simmer 1 hour or until meat is ready to fall off the bone.

  6. REmove teh bone, and cool until you can handle it. Remove the meat and dice up into cubes. REturn the meat to the stock, and add the cooked beans. Add the paprika. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

  7. Simmer until the beans are totally cooked. Add more water or stock if it thickens too much.